After the Snow
by Fairy in a Pink Shirt
Summary: Their love is a powerful force. Her eyes met his as if angels deemed it so, and it was fate. He wanted to keep a hold on her as a snake holds its prey. Will their love be able to endure the curse? Ayame x OC.
1. Ch 1: Lucky Sorano

A/N: If you recognize it, or them, it's not mines. I only own Sorano Otsuki, my O.C.

-Chapter 1: Lucky Sorano-

Sorano Otsuki huffed into her cupped hands a cloud of warm air and stuffed them in the pockets of her long, grey overcoat. She silently cursed as her breath fogged up her black, plastic-rimmed glasses. She strolled down a small sidewalk of shops, hoping to find one that sold formal dresses.

"Come on. One of these shops has to have _some_ kind of formal wear."She wrapped her black scarf around her delicate neck and pulled out her dirty blonde, shoulder-length hair from underneath it. As she re-adjusted her grey headband and matching hair barrette, she moved the portion of her bangs, dyed pink, from her vision, gazing at the grey, November sky with pale brown eyes as another blanket of snow fell. "I hope I don't get snowed in somewhere. I've got to get home." She said as her knee-high, brown, two-inch, lace-up boots crunched in the white powder on the ground when she walked.

Her family was celebrating her father's birthday by having a formal dinner party, which was in two weeks, and she didn't have a dress to wear, or a date to impress her mother. Having an unmarried, 24-year-old daughter is not very much to talk about to other friends or relatives.

Sorano's excuse for it was: _'I'm focusing on my career right now. I don't want to marry young'_ And her mother's reply was: _'Well, you're not _getting _any younger, honey.'_

As the woman sighed while recalling her mother's words, a floral-decorated sign had caught her eye. "Trust Comes First…Ayame…Value From the Heart?"

She read the sign aloud, thinking it was an odd name. She looked inside through the window and saw some dressy clothing put on display. One thing that caught her eye was a rather skimpy…maid's uniform. She grabbed the cold, metal door handle and pulled the door open, jingling the bell over it.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I came looking for a dress…" The blonde woman walked into the store hesitantly as she shouted to the quiet area. It was dimly lit and had many shelves that held fabrics most likely able to clothe an entire city. Her eyes brightened as she excitedly approached a gorgeous, mid-length summer dress in pink, a color she adored. "These designs are so beautiful!"

Out of curiosity, Sorano wandered through the various shelves, studying and feeling the different materials. Startled by the sweet laughter of a woman, she quickly turned towards the back of the shop, clumsily bumping into a shelf. A large box of white lace fell off the top of the shelf, and onto her. "AAHH!! Oh my God!"

The long frills turned into a tangled mess as the woman struggled to remove them. She tried to find a way out of the billowy fabric when she cried out, hoping someone was around to hear her. "Can someone help me?! Please?!"

Two long, elegant hands pushed through the lace, nearly touching her surprised face. The hands lifted and pushed the lace away for a man's beautiful face to come into her view, like curtains revealing a work of art. He had narrow, golden yellow eyes and long white, almost silver hair that flowed down to his knees. He was tall, almost six feet, had long limbs, and skin lighter than hers, which only complemented his alluring looks, "I am a fortunate man to find a pale-eyed angel hidden in pure, white lace as fair as her skin!"

His beautiful words put a pink glow in her cheeks. How he described her was nothing like how she really was in her opinion. His voice alone was enchanting, smooth, and velvety. He effortlessly lifted the pile of lace off of her and let it fall to her feet. His smooth hand brushed her cheek, giving her chills. With a nervous smile, she turned to him and bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry about that. I was looking through the fabrics out of curiosity when I got startled and bumped into a shelf, knocking the box over."

"Nothing to worry about, Miss. There's no damage done, so everything's fine."

"Oh, I promise, I would pay for _anything_ in your store if I damaged it."

"Oh? I wasn't referring to my shop," He put his hand under her chin and looked deeply into her eyes, making her blush intensely. "If there was a single scratch on you, I would think the world would end."

"O-oh…I see…" She turned beet red.

He moved away from her and put the lace back into the box it was in.

"Now then…I am Ayame Sohma himself. What tasks have you come here to honor me with?"

"W-well, I need a dress for my father's formal dinner party. I saw a few of your designs, and I was hoping that you might be able to help me."

He suddenly stood with the biggest grin on his face, "Certainly, my fair maiden! Oh, Miiine-chaaan!"

He called out a name to the back of the shop in a sing-song voice. Just then, a young woman popped out from the back room. She had short, black hair, worn in braided pigtails, large, brown eyes, with glasses resting on her face in front of them. The one thing that was the most peculiar about her was that she wore a dress matching the same design as the white-haired man's clothing.

"Yes, Ayame-san!" She saluted cheerfully.

"Could you please assist me in creating the perfect dinner party dress for this lovely woman beside me?" He presented Sorano to her.

"With pleasure!"

The dark-haired woman got a sudden gleam in her eyes, putting slight fear in Sorano's mind. She grabbed both of her arms and pulled her onto a high platform with three mirrors around the front of it. Mine removed her overcoat and scarf, showing her classy, yet casual look. She wore a vertical-striped green and white, quarter-sleeve shirt with a grey vest with only one button closed over her chest, and a denim blue skirt that stopped just above her knees. The whole outfit complemented her curves very well. For a good ten minutes or so, the man and woman stared intently at the blonde woman's body and murmured ideas to each other.

It made her uncomfortable, but eventually, the two looked at each other with "ah-HAH!" faces and pumped their fists and said at the same time, "That's perfect!"

Their outburst made her jump, "Wh-what? What do you have in mind?"

Ayame took measuring tape out of his pocket as his enthusiastic assistant removed the woman's boots, revealing green, knee-high socks. The man measured her leg length as he said, "You have a perfectly toned figure. Tell me, are you in the modeling business, Miss…"

He paused, not knowing her name. She realized that she never introduced herself to him, and decided to so the he didn't think she was rude or anything, "Otsuki. I'm Sorano Otsuki. And, no, I'm an author of romance novels. I just like to keep fit."

As he wrote down the measurements on a paper, he looked up at her after hearing what her career was, "Romance novels? Tell me; are you the novelist with the pen name 'Sora Hime'?"

"Heh, that's right."

"Wow! You write such lovely stories, Otsuki-san!"Mine was beaming. It was obvious that she was a fan of her work. The long-haired man continued measuring and writing down numbers.

"Oh, thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my books."

"I've heard of you from my close relative. He says you are very talented. You wouldn't happen to know a man named Shigure Sohma, now would you?"

"Of course! His novels are wonderful! He's _related_ to you?!"

"Mm-hmm. He's my cousin, and I visit frequently because he's taking care of my little brother, Yuki."

"Wow, I can't believe Shigure Sohma likes my work. I'm so glad."

Sorano put her hands over her heart as Mine measured her waistline. She couldn't believe someone's work she adored so much complemented her work as well.

"If you'd like, you can come along the next time I visit him."

"Really? I'd love to! That's so generous of you! What can I do for you in return?"

"Hmm…How about inviting me to this party that you'll be attending?"

"My father's birthday?"

"You'll be wearing the dress I designed. I'm sure someone there would love it so much that they would want to speak to me about it. Think of it as promotional advertising."

"Heh heh…Come to think of it, I _do_ need a date for that night." This was _too_ good to be true. The pale brown-eyed girl accomplished to find a place to make a dress for her, she found a date for the party, _and_ she'll possibly get to meet one of her favorite authors. All of her worries seemed to disappear.

"Then it's settled! You'll be able to go to the party in a stunning dress, and _I'll_ be able to tell everyone that I made it!"

"Ayame-san, you always come up with everything!"

"It's true! I can fix all sorts of problems! Ha ha ha!"

"Well, we have the measurements and the basic idea of the dress. Everything seems to be taken care of for now. When do you need this finished?"

"The party is two weeks from now." Sorano laced her boots up and tied them as she spoke to him while sitting on the model platform.

"Let's see, today's Friday, so if we get started now, we should have it finished by Monday. Are you able to come in that day?"

Sorano was putting on her coat when she stopped and looked at him a bit surprised, "You'd have it done that soon? I'm impressed."

"Actually, we don't have too many projects at the moment, and Mine and I are very hard workers."

"I see…Well, thank you for all of your help, Sohma-san."

"Oh, please, you don't need to be so formal. 'Ayaa-kun' is just fine."

"Ayaa-kun? Alright, then, you can call me Sorano-chan." She bowed to him and wrapped her scarf around her neck. She walked a few steps but stopped after Ayame caught her attention.

"Oh, that's right! You wanted to visit Shigure sometime. If you're free, I'm planning on seeing him this Saturday."

"Really? Saturday's perfect for me!"

She asked for a piece of paper from his notepad, wrote down something, and then handed it back to him. "Here's my address, home and cell phone number if you need it. I live only a short walking distance from this shop, so you can call ahead and I'll come over here, or you can come get me. Just let me know."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Okay, and thanks again!" The young woman waved goodbye and walked out of the store.

She left a smile on the slender man's face, but a pensive stare on his assistant's, "Such a lovely girl, wouldn't you agree, Mine-chan? She's a bit awkward, though."

She didn't answer at first, but she soon responded to him when he leaned over to look at her face that was angled toward the floor, "Mine-chan? Is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, no! I'm fine! She _is_ a nice woman, yes."

"Well, we should start on that dress! Leaving a customer disappointed is the worst thing that can happen!"

Mine stared at the back of him as he strolled away cheerfully. Her eyes saddened as her mind feared for the worst. Had he fallen for another woman?

(End of Ch.1)

A/N: Okay, so for those that have already read this, I just changed some things! I made Sorano more…nerdy lol. I thought she was too Mary-sue ish with how I had the story before, so there we go! Chapter two is posted, but please read this first. Sorry to change the story on you guys! Tell me what you think!


	2. Ch 2: Humble Sorano

Disclaimer: If you recognize anything, It's not mine. I only own Sorano Otsuki, My O/C.

-Chapter 2: Humble Sorano-

Sorano excitedly put a few of her favorite novels written by Shigure in a gift bag. Today was the day that she got to visit his home, and was hoping he could sign her books since she was a fan of his work. At any moment, Ayame would come by her house to pick her up to drive to the house, which was actually more of an estate as she was told. It made her wonder if the Sohmas were a wealthy family. She fixed her knee-length, dark purple skirt and black, low-cut sweater while looking in the mirror. She let out a sigh of disappointment when she looked at her face. She really did hate wearing glasses all the time, but never found the time to get contact lenses. Just then, she heard the doorbell ring, causing her to perk up and smile. She grabbed the bag and hurried downstairs to greet her guest at the door.

"I'm coming!"She called while straightening up a few things before opening the door. At first, she smiled, but then looked surprised when she saw not only the golden-eyed man she had met yesterday, But a different man with short, black hair with bangs covering mainly his left eye. He had a very serious expression and wore a sharp suit and tie. From his height, he looked about as tall as the man next to him, and he was not athletic, but lean.

"Good morning, Ayaa-kun. It's so nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Sorano-chan. I forgot to mention that Tori was coming along with us today. Sorano Otsuki, this is my cousin, Hatori Sohma. He's also the Sohma family doctor."

"I see, well, it's nice to meet you, Hatori Sohma-san."She bowed politely first, then he followed with a bow in return.

"Please, Hatori-san is just fine."

"Okay. Hatori-san it is. Could you two wait just one moment, please?"

The two men watched as she set the gift bag down to put on her black, close-toed heels at the door and put her grey, long overcoat on. When she picked it back up, Ayame decided to question it. "Are you bringing a gift to Gure-san?"

"Well, yes, but I'm also bringing a few of his novels in hope that he'll sign them for me."

"Wow, you really _are_ a fan of his. Well then, shall we get going then?"

"Yes, it's better for you to be in the heated car when there's weather like this, Ayaa," Hatori said as he headed toward his car idled in front of her house. His comment confused the woman as she looked at the feminine man. He automatically knew what she was getting ready to ask and just answered right away.

"I tend to…pass out when I'm in extreme heat or cold for an extended period of time, so I have to be careful and stay in an area with a controlled climate."

Sorano followed the fashionable man into the car. He sat in the passenger seat next to Hatori, which annoyed him a bit, and she sat in the back seat, her eyes bright with anticipation and excitement. Although, as soon as she got into the car, the warm air in the car mixed with the cold air outside, created a fog on her glasses. Ayame chuckled at her when she flushed and cleaned them with her sleeve.

The silver-haired man paraded gleefully toward the door to a humongous house. It was two stories, and seemed quite spacious from the outside. As they were driving closer to the house in the car, Hatori explained to her that the road they were currently on was part of Shigure's property. That practically confirmed the blonde woman's assumption: the Sohmas were _loaded_!

Ayame was just about to pull the door open when he heard the woman behind him say, "Um, shouldn't we knock first?"But he didn't hear her and swung open the door quickly, took off his shoes at the door, and ran off in a random direction. Sorano hurriedly kicked off her shoes and followed him. The reserved man just sighed shaking his head and let them go on ahead with their hi-jinks.

"Ayaa-kun! What are you--?"

The golden eyed man seemed to sparkle as he pushed the door to a room open. From the look of the furniture, it appeared to be a sort of tea room used for entertaining guests. Sitting at a kotatsu was a young girl about the age of seventeen with mid-length, brown hair and bright, blue eyes. Next to her was a boy around the same age with short, orange hair and brown eyes that seemed guarded. Across from the boy and girl was a boy that looked eerily similar to Ayame, but with short, silver-purple hair and purple eyes that seemed very kind.

All three of them directed their attention to the shouting man. "WE HAVE ARRIVED!"

There was a silence in the room until the purple-eyed boy quickly stood and walked over to the long-haired man. As Hatori finally stood behind them, the boy stopped directly in front of Ayame with a dark expression on his face, "Do you have to burst into the room shouting _every time_ you come to visit?"

"Come now, Yuki. Is that really how you treat your big brother?"He put an arm around the young man's shoulders lovingly and smiled at him.

Sorano could now say for sure that they were related from their behavior, and how much they really looked alike, "Oh, I see! This must be the brother you mentioned, right Ayaa-kun?"

"Mm-hmm! Sorano Otsuki, this is my little brother, Yuki Sohma."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Yuki-kun."

"And to you, Otsuki-san."

The two bowed, Yuki bending over lower than her out of respect. They came back up, and after he greeted Hatori, she gave him a warm smile as she said, "You have such manners, and it's amazing how similar you look to your Nii-san."

"Ah…really…"

He replied in a way that sounded like a statement, when it should have been more of a question. He looked over at his beaming older brother, letting the woman know that he didn't really like being compared to Ayame.

"Um…Otsuki-san?" The woman in glasses looked to her left to see the young brunette girl next to her. The second their eyes met, she quickly bowed from her waist respectfully, but in a ditzy way.

"Uh, I-it's nice to meet you! My name is Tohru Honda."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you as well, Tohru-chan."

Sorano bowed to her and smiled nervously to match her when someone suddenly stepped out of the kitchen area, "Yuki-kun, I thought I heard your--"He had short, black hair with bangs parted in the middle of his hairline, dark brown, cheerful eyes, and he wore a loose, comfortable-looking kimono, along with bare feet. He started to speak, but stopped as he stared at the silver-haired man for a few seconds.

He practically ran towards him, and thankfully Tohru pulled Sorano out of the way so she wouldn't get caught in their tight, loving embrace. "Ayaa!! It's been far too long!"

"You just saw him last _week_, Shigure!"Kyo grouchily commented at the two men's antics.

They both looked at him cheerfully while saying in sync, "Yes, but it felt more like ages!"

Everyone, excluding Tohru and Sorano, let out exasperated sighs.

"Kyon-Kyon, can't you be polite and introduce yourself to our guest?"The orange-haired boy growled at the nickname the golden-eyed man called him as he stood and came over to the woman.

He averted his eyes and seemed a bit shy as he said, "I'm Kyo Sohma. I-It's nice to meet you."

She didn't understand why he was uncomfortable to introduce himself, because he was intimidating to her. Even though he was shorter than Ayame, Shigure, and Hatori, he was still taller than her! He looked eight centimeters or so over her.

Still, after he bowed, she returned the gesture, "Um, it's a pleasure, Kyo-kun."

"And, of course, your main objective of being here was for this man."Ayame directed her attention to Shigure, who smiled, already knowing who _she_ was.

He bowed, "Sorano Otsuki, correct? It's so nice to finally make your acquaintance."

"Oh, believe me, the pleasure's all mine, Sohma-san! I really admire your work."

"Thank you, and I've become quite fond of a few of _your_ novels as well. Come, sit down." He went to sit at a spot at the kotatsu, being followed by everyone else. Hatori sat next to him, Kyo and Tohru sat across from them, while Yuki sat across from Ayame and the blonde woman.

"For an author on the rise, you're very talented, Otsuki-san." Shigure smiled at the uneasy blonde woman.

"Well, I'm not even close to your level, Sohma-san." She smiled back nervously

"That's so interesting. Both you and Shigure-san are romance novelists."

"Oh? Do you enjoy romance novels, Tohru-chan?" Sorano turned to look at the young lady that spoke.

"Not really, but It must be nice to stay home doing something you enjoy."

There was a sudden whistling noise coming from the kitchen. The brunette girl was the first to turn and look, then everyone else did the same.

She stood "Oh, that must be the water for the tea. Excuse me."

She went into the kitchen to make tea for everyone when the long-haired man looked to the woman next to him. "Sorano-chan, didn't you bring a gift for Shigure?"

"Oh, that's right!"She picked up the bag next to her, took the novels Shigure wrote out of it, set them on the table, then handed just the bag to him.

"I wanted to thank you by getting a gift for you."

"Well, how very thoughtful of you." He put his hand in the bag and took out a rather large box with a frilly bow tied around it. He opened it, and inside was an elegant case for reading glasses, a few energy-boosting espresso shots, and a picture book of scenic places of the world.

He smiled sincerely, "Oh, how nice."

"Yeah, Ayaa-kun told me that you use glasses for reading, so I got you the case. If you're like me, you'll need those espresso shots for late nights, and I always cure my writer's block by looking at picture books of beautiful scenery."

"That's such a creative gift idea. Thank you so much."

"He probably won't use any of it much, seeing as how he always misses his deadlines and tortures his poor editor," Yuki panged the cruel remark to his caretaker, getting a few laughs from everyone.

The woman then meekly slid the novels written by him toward him and smiled nervously. "And, if you don't mind, Sohma-san, could you autograph some of my favorite novels that you wrote?"

"Oh, I'd be happy to. And Shigure-san is just fine. There's so many Sohmas in here, it might get confusing at one point." He smiled at her, then leaned toward Hatori and sweetly asked, "Hey, Tori, could I possibly borrow a--"

The stoic man silently whipped out an expensive looking pen from the inside pocket of his blazer. "Please give it back when you're done."

"Oh, okay."

Tohru came back in with a tray of cups of tea as Shigure began signing the inside of a cover to a book. "Okay, the tea's ready. Did I miss anything?"

"Otsuki-san just gave Shigure a few gifts to help him while he's writing."

"Oh, how nice." She served the six other people their cups of tea before taking one for herself.

Before she took a sip of the hot liquid, Sorano asked the young girl, "If you don't mind my asking, Tohru-chan, are you part of the Sohma family as well? I noticed that your last name was 'Honda'."

"Oh, no. It's a long story, though. You see, my father died when I was young, and while I lived with my mom, she died in a car accident when I was in middle school. After that, my grandfather took me in at his home. A few years later, the house was being renovated, so he asked me if I had a place to stay until it was finished. I didn't want to burden my friends, so I started living in a tent. Coincidentally, I was living on part of the land that Shigure-san owned. He and Yuki-kun found out one night that I lived there, and thought it was a little odd."

A stifled laugh was heard from the kimono-wearing novelist. After everyone looked at him, he calmed down and said, "I'm sorry, but it's still a bit funny. Please continue, Tohru-chan."

"Yes. Well, that same night, there was a landslide, which destroyed my tent in the process. After they were kind enough to let me stay the night in their home, Yuki spent all night going through the rubble of the landslide to find my things. I was so glad because a very precious picture of my mother was in there. Knowing I had nowhere else to go, they allowed me to stay here with them."

"I see. You've got quite a big heart, Shigure-san."

"Not that big of one. He only did it if she agreed to be their _housekeeper_."

"Kyyyooo, don't make me out to be the bad guy." The man whined with a deflated expression, causing everyone to laugh once again.

"Anyway, Otsuki-san. How did you meet Ayaa?"

"Oh, I was walking down a small street looking through the shops in hope of finding one that sold some kind of formal wear. I was in need of a dress for my father's birthday dinner party. Luckily, I found Ayaa-kun's shop!"

"'Luckily'? What kind of 'formal' are you talking about?" Kyo's comment created an awkward silence in the room. Everyone, except Sorano herself, knew that Ayame mainly created clothing that was more on the costume side.

Realizing this as she recalled the maid's uniform she had seen in the shop window, the light brown-eyed woman waved her hand with a nervous smile. "Oh, no, no! There were some semi-formal pieces on display in the window that caught my eye. Although, I didn't really understand the costume-type outfits like the…maid and nurse uniforms."

Her hands were suddenly enclosed in the hands of the man next to her. They were soft and warm, which made her blush as he looked deeply into her eyes. "Tell me, Sorano-chan…Have you ever had a fantasy?"

"A…what?"

"Uh, Nii-san, I don't think it's best if--" Yuki tried to stop his brother, but he was too late.

The silver-haired man stood up and put a hand on his chest as he looked toward the floor sophisticatedly. Somehow, there were strange sparkles around him as he closed his eyes, seeming to enrapture his audience. "I had a dream to fulfill the desires of human beings, men especially."He opened his eyes to create a dramatic effect. "That was when I made the greatest decision of my life."

Along with the hand on his chest, the man held up his hand as if to present something to the heavens above him. It seemed as if he was so passionate, that he might…cry, "I wanted to create clothes to fulfill the deepest desires of every man who has ever thought their dream was impossible!"

There was a fatigued sigh from the Sohmas, and the young girl and the woman smiled nervously.

Tohru understood Ayame's…'career', but Sorano decided to say something to make the room feel a bit less uncomfortable, "Wow, Ayaa-kun, that's um…quite an interesting vision of yours."

He knelt down in front of her enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling with ambition. She had never met a man his age with energy like that of a child. "Yes, and I have an excellent proposal for you to help me in my growing vision."

"Oh, really? And, what would that be?"

He, once again, took her hands into his and boldly stated, "I would like for you to use my creations to write a romance story."

The whole room was silent out of utter shock and confusion. Yuki's fist suddenly met the top of Ayame's head, making Sorano flinch, "Nii-san, don't spread your stupidity to this poor woman!"

"Oh, no! It's not stupid at all, Yuki-kun. I'm just a bit surprised at his offer," The blonde woman's words caught everyone's attention. Did that mean she agreed to _take the offer?_

"Isn't there…_someone else_ that you can get to do this job? You know, someone who's actually _a good writer?_" She looked in Shigure's direction.

"It's true that Shigure may have more experience as a writer, but your style of writing novels was what put such an idea in my mind. Plus, I think this idea really needs…a _woman's_ touch."She blushed at his complement. His eccentricity was just too extreme to handle.

"Can you do this for me? Please?" She looked at his pleading expression with a worried one for a while until she finally caved. "Well, I _did_ need an idea for my next project."

"You'll do it?"

"Really?"

The two brothers were equally shocked at her reply. She nodded once with a smile.

The silver-haired man jumped to his feet and hugged the young boy behind him, "That's so wonderful! Isn't it, Yuki?"

"…Yes…" The purple-eyed boy sighed out of exasperation, and everyone laughed and continued to converse with each other. Sorano thought to herself, 'First, I meet the author that I idolize, then, I somehow become a model. Meeting Ayaa-kun has just turned one thing into the next.'

(End of Ch. 2)

A/N: I LIIIIVE! I'm sorry for keeping this from you guys! If you re-read the first chapter, that's why it took so long to update! I promise to update faster! This story really is not finished!! Please bear with me! Reviews are love!


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